Association of maternal and cord blood barium exposure with preschoolers' intellectual function: Evidence from the Ma'anshan Birth Cohort (MABC) study

Juan Tong; Chunmei Liang; Shuman Tao; Menglong Geng; Hong Gan; Shuangqin Yan; Hui Cao; Liangliang Xie; Kun Huang; Fangbiao Tao; Xiaoyan Wu

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160029

Association of maternal and cord blood barium exposure with preschoolers' intellectual function: Evidence from the Ma'anshan Birth Cohort (MABC) study

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Feb 1;858(Pt 2):160029. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160029. Epub 2022 Nov 8.

Authors

Juan Tong¹, Chunmei Liang², Shuman Tao², Menglong Geng², Hong Gan¹, Shuangqin Yan³, Hui Cao³, Liangliang Xie³, Kun Huang⁴, Fangbiao Tao⁵, Xiaoyan Wu⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China.
² MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China.
³ Ma'anshan Maternal and Child Health Center, Ma'anshan 243011, Anhui, China.
⁴ Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China.
⁵ Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China. Electronic address: fbtao@ahmu.edu.cn.
⁶ Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China. Electronic address: xywu@ahmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 36356737
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160029

Abstract

Objectives: Barium is widely involved in drilling fluids, plastics, and personal care products. Although the neurodevelopmental toxicity of barium has been reported in animals, human data are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the effect of prenatal barium concentrations on preschoolers' intellectual function based on a birth cohort study.

Methods: A total of 2164 mother-child pairs from Ma'anshan city, China were included in this study. We measured serum barium concentrations in the first, second, and third trimesters and in cord blood. Intellectual function in children aged 3.0-6.0 years old was assessed using the Chinese version of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV). Linear regression models were used to analyze the association between averaged barium exposure during pregnancy and intellectual function. Multiple informant models were performed to jointly test for differences in associations between four repeated barium exposure and intellectual function. All models were further stratified by child sex.

Results: Collectively, we observed significant inverse associations of average maternal barium exposure levels with verbal comprehension index (VCI), visual spatial index (VSI), processing speed index (PSI), and full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) scores. Maternal serum log₁₀-transformed barium levels in the second trimester were inversely associated with VCI [-2.33 (95%CI: -4.02, -0.64)], VSI [-2.30 (95%CI: -4.08, -0.52)], working memory index (WMI) [-2.09 (95%CI: -3.71, -0.46)], PSI [-2.23 (95%CI: -3.82, -0.65)], and FSIQ scores [-2.73 (95%CI: -4.23, -1.22)]. Prenatal barium exposure was inversely associated with VCI, VSI, WMI, PSI, and FSIQ in girls, except for the fluid reasoning index (FRI). Additionally, inverse associations were found between prenatal barium exposure and VSI, PSI, and FSIQ in boys.

Conclusions: Prenatal barium exposure had detrimental effects on intellectual function in preschoolers and girls drove these inverse associations more than boys. The second trimester may be the critical window of neurotoxicity to barium exposure.

Keywords: Barium; Critical windows; Neurodevelopment; Repeated measurement.

MeSH terms

Barium
Birth Cohort
Child
Child, Preschool
Cohort Studies
Female
Fetal Blood*
Humans
Intelligence Tests
Male
Maternal Exposure
Pregnancy
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects*

Substances

Barium